By DON O'BRIEN
Herald-Whig Sports Editor
Sports Editor Don O'Brien takes a look at what's going on in the world of sports and gives his take: So much for the NBA season Last season, the NBA tried to cram a 66-game season into about a four-month window. If the league wants to get to the point for the 2012-13 campaign, all it needs to do is schedule a seven-game series between the defending champion Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers. Sadly, everything else is just filler. With the Lakers getting Orlando center Dwight Howard as part of a four-team deal last week, it appears those teams are destined for a showdown next June in the Finals. The Heat already has its "Big Three" in the form of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. They also added Boston sharpshooter Ray Allen through free agency. They are without a doubt the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers had already made a huge offseason move when they lured Steve Nash away from Phoenix as a free agent. Then, they pulled off the trade of the summer (and possibly century) when they acquired Howard without having to give up power forward Pau Gasol as part of the deal. The Lakers got rid of Andrew Bynum to get Howard. Say what you will about Howard's off-court antics -- he seems like a spoiled brat -- but on the court he is an unstoppable force. The quartet of Kobe Bryant, Nash, Howard and Gasol pushes the Lakers above the young guns from Oklahoma City. This isn't to say that the Heat and Lakers are each going to win 75 games during the regular season en route to the NBA Finals meeting that awaits them. Both will have their rough spots. Have we ever had two teams as clear-cut as favorites as these two going into a season? Will Tiger ever win another major? Tiger Woods has had a good year. He has three PGA Tour wins in 2012, but his worth isn't measured by how many times he can win the Arnold Palmer Invitational. It's measured in major championships. At this point, it's hard to see him winning another one. A huge fan of Woods, it was difficult watching him hack it around the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island during Saturday's third round of the PGA Championship. He went from being tied for the lead to being just another face in the field going into today's final round. This is so different than when he was at his dominant best. In those days when he had the lead going into the weekend, it was nearly a done deal that he was going to hoist the trophy or slip on the jacket on Sunday evening. Now a days, Woods is just lucky if he hangs on to be part of the mix down the stretch. It's really sad to watch. For more DOBservations, visit Don O'Brien's blog at www.whig.com/dob.
